“The one day initiative has seen a massive response from Indian moviegoers, with shows starting as early as 6.00 am due to an unprecedented demand for movie tickets. Audiences of all ages came together and the country’s cinema operators reported house-full shows throughout the day, making 23 September the highest attended day of the year," MAI said in a statement. About 4,000 screens across cinema chains like PVR, INOX, Cinepolis, Carnival, Miraj, Citypride, MUKTA A2, Movie Time, WAVE, M2K, Delite and others were part of the initiative.
Mystery thriller Chup: Revenge of the Artist collected in the range of Rs. 2.75-3 crore on its first day which could have been its opening weekend had it not been for National Cinema Day, according to trade website Box Office India. Meanwhile, superhero flick Brahmastra earned Rs. 8.50 crore, making for the second highest third Friday of all time for a film in the Hindi language, after SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion though the latter was originally in Telugu and only dubbed in Hindi. The Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer clocked in almost 14 lakh admissions which was just 20-25% less than its first day admissions.
In an earlier statement, MAI had said that due to state regulations with respect to cinemas and ticket pricing, territories like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala would be unable to participate in the National Cinema Day celebrations. However, participating cinemas in these states would provide special offers to customers for the occasion.
